


Foolproof

by yuletide_archivist



Category: Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-12-21
Updated: 2005-12-21
Packaged: 2018-01-25 06:57:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1637768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuletide_archivist/pseuds/yuletide_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ivan was not worried about Byerly Vorrutyer.  Truly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Foolproof

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Loligo

 

 

Arriving home alone after the party at Vorrutyer House, Ivan sighed as he looked around his empty apartment. He'd had such high hopes for an intimate little tête-á-tête with Isobel Vorkeres here tonight. Unfortunately, her endless, tedious speculation about Gregor, Laisa and the potential babies they might be cooking up--all while casting significant looks at Ivan--had sent him scrambling for the nearest exit.

He looked over at the comconsole, hoping there might be a message. The florist's assistant he'd met earlier in the week while running an errand for his mother had seemed rather interested in his overtures. Unfortunately, it was frustratingly dark. Which also meant that there was no further word on the whereabouts of Byerly Vorrutyer. By had been scarcer than hen's teeth lately, but Ivan had been sure he wouldn't miss Dono's party.

Not that Ivan was worried about him, of course; he wasn't. Nor did he feel any responsibility for By's welfare now that he knew of By's clandestine involvement with ImpSec. Truly, Ivan wanted nothing to do with it. It was just that By sometimes traveled in such unsavory circles, among people who wouldn't hesitate to squash him like a bug if they even suspected By was ratting them out to the Barrayaran authorities. When Byerly wasn't to be found drifting amongst the high Vor set, Ivan...noticed.

And this time he'd been noticing for nearly a month. By hadn't returned any of the messages Ivan left on his comconsole, Dono hadn't heard from him in ages, and a discreet inquiry to By's ImpSec handler had been an exercise in frustration. Merkle refused to even consider--or perhaps he was just refusing to let Ivan know he was considering--that anything might be wrong.

This was exactly why civilians shouldn't get involved with ImpSec, Ivan thought for the hundredth time. At least in the Service a man had his fellows to watch his back. All By had was that idiot Merkle. Poor Bastard.

The com chimed and Ivan leaped to answer it. "Yes? Well, well. Captain Merkle."

"Captain Vorpatril."

"You've heard something?"

"As a matter of fact, I have. He's on an orbital shuttle as we speak and will be arriving at the Vorbarr Sultana shuttleport in approximately one hour."

Ivan bit back the undignified impulse to whoop with relief. "And he's all right?"

Merkle nodded.

"Well, good then. Thanks for keeping me informed," Ivan said, relief already giving way to customary irritation. He reached out to cut the com.

"Ah, Captain? Are you planning to meet him at the shuttleport?"

"Why would I want to do that?"

"Well, you've been so anxious to get in touch--"

"I have not been anxious!" Ivan exclaimed.

Merkle raised a politely disbelieving eyebrow.

"Well, I may have been a little...concerned," Ivan allowed.

Merkle nodded. "As the two of you _are_ known associates it would be quite unremarkable for you to meet him at the shuttleport."

"He can make his own arrangements; I've nothing to do with it."

"I think it would be best if he had a friend to meet him," Merkle said, pinning Ivan with a significant look.

"Oh, fine," Ivan said grumpily, and this time he did cut the com.

*

Ivan, slouching comfortably over a reader, sat up straight as By appeared on the concourse. Though he was moving a little stiffly, he looked none the worse for wear, slim and nonchalant in a dark blue suit. As he got closer though, Ivan could see that he had a bit of beard shadow and he looked exhausted. Ivan suddenly wondered why Merkle had been so insistent that Ivan be at the shuttleport.

"Well hello, Ivan," By said with a little smile. "What a pleasant surprise. Are you here to meet me? No flowers, I see..."

Ivan quickly glanced around. "Where have you been?" he hissed.

By's eyebrow quirked. "Worried about me?"

"Nobody's seen you for weeks. Even Dono didn't know where you were."

"The devoted Captain Merkle knew where I was."

"He wouldn't tell me," Ivan said sourly.

"Why Ivan, you really have been worried. I'm touched."

"Touched in the head!"

"How did you know I'd be arriving tonight?" By walked off, leaving Ivan to either follow along or be left behind.

"Merkle did deign to tell me that," Ivan admitted. "So, where have you been?"

"If you must know, I've been on Beta Colony."

"Oh no," Ivan said, his voice a horrified whisper. He quickly looked By up and down. "What have you done?"

"Now now," By said, smiling. "Nothing as drastic as all that. Here, why don't you carry my bag?"

"Carry your own damned bag!"

By pouted in Ivan's direction, but said nothing more, and they proceeded in silence to Ivan's groundcar. By grimaced as he eased himself into the passenger seat and Ivan frowned as he pulled out into the street. He was _not_ worried, he reminded himself. Not a bit.

But By was too quiet; he should've been needling away at Ivan, not just _sitting_ there. "What's wrong with you?" he finally asked.

By waved a negligent hand. "Just a little stiff. Nothing to worry about."

"You look like hell," Ivan said bluntly. "What have you been doing?"

"My...ah...friend wanted to visit the Orb," By said. "Along the way I ended up in a rather...delicate situation. Left up here."

"I know where you live, By." Ivan turned the indicated corner. "What do you mean, delicate?"

By's lip curled into a smirk. "Bound and gagged, if you must know."

Ivan's eyes widened, then narrowed suspiciously. "Ha ha. Very funny." Damn By; he always had enjoyed putting Ivan off balance.

"As amusing as it is to see you squirm, I'm quite serious."

"How did you get away?"

"How do you think? They tired of the game and untied me."

"They?" Ivan said, his voice rising.

By rolled his eyes. "It was the Orb. Don't be provincial."

So Byerly had been cavorting around the Orb while Ivan sat home and worried. Typical. Just typical. Ivan parked the car in front of By's building, and this time he did carry By's bag for him. By went straight into the kitchen and poured himself a large glass of wine. "Would you like a drink?" he called over his shoulder.

"Sure," Ivan said. He started to ask what By had, but By was already sloshing wine into a second glass. Ivan frowned at this rather graceless presentation as he sat down. "So, what happened?" he asked again.

"What do you mean?" By replied. He leaned against the counter and took a large swallow of wine.

"I mean, why are you so stiff you can hardly sit down? Why are you limping?" Ivan said, exasperated.

"Well, I'm stiff because a sadistic herm took a whip to me. I'm limping because it still hurts."

Ivan stared, appalled. When By said he was bound and gagged, Ivan had envisioned silk scarves and feathers, not whips and chains. "I...ah...didn't know you went in for that sort of thing,"

"I don't," By said shortly. "Though my vices are many, masochism isn't one of them."

"But...why let them tie you up at all?"

"My traveling companion is in the process of brokering some very interesting business deals. Interesting to ImpSec that is; I was bored to tears. He wanted to visit a club that caters to that sort of thing." By shrugged. "I went along. Things got out of hand."

"You shouldn't...you shouldn't have to do that," Ivan said, and his voice sounded strange and hoarse in his own ears.

"It would've been fine if not for that damned herm." By drained the last of his wine and set the glass down on the countertop.

Ivan frowned repressively. "That's not what I mean, By. You should sleep with people, or get tied up, or whatever you want to do because you want to, not because...I can't believe ImpSec...does Merkle know you're doing this?"

By slipped out of his tunic, tossing it onto the sofa. "ImpSec and Merkle know I provide information. They've never shown any evidence of caring how I come by it."

"But..."

"But what, Ivan?" By walked over, leaned down and braced himself on the arms of Ivan's chair. "What?" he said softly, lips curled in a bitter smile. "Are _you_ going to give me a lecture about how sex is special and beautiful, to be shared only with the one you love?"

"Er...no," Ivan said, shrinking back in the chair.

By smirked, leaning even closer. "I didn't think so."

Ivan could smell the wine on By's breath. Was he drunk from that one glass of wine? Had he been drinking before Ivan picked him up? "Are...are you going to kiss me?"

"Why Ivan," By murmured, "do you want me to kiss you?"

"What? No! No, of course not!"

By's lips twitched. "Then no, of course not." He pushed himself off the chair. "Go away, Ivan. I'm tired. I appreciate your concern but it's really not necessary."

By slowly unbuttoned his shirt, wincing as he pulled it loose from his trousers, and as he disappeared through the bedroom door, Ivan could see dark-red whip marks just above the waistband of By's trousers. Ivan chewed his knuckle and waited.

By finally emerged in a cloud of steam, wrapped up in a fluffy white bathrobe. The dark beard shadow was gone, but he still moved stiffly, favoring his left leg. Ivan followed.

"Are you still here?" By yawned. "I'm exhausted, Ivan. Can't we do this in the morning?"

"Do what?"

"Whatever it is we're doing," he said in a bored voice. "Dissecting my depravity. Asserting your moral indignation. Indulging your prurient interest. I'm going to bed now. I'm sure you can see yourself out." He took off the robe and threw it across the end of the bed, grimacing as he bent to pull down the blankets.

"Good God, By," Ivan whispered, aghast. He walked over, staring at the welts in horrified fascination. "You need to see a doctor."

"I doubt there's anything a doctor can do."

Ivan stared, "But...something..." he shrugged helplessly. "They could at least do something for the pain."

"Now that sounds good. There should be some painkillers in the kitchen drawer. Before you go, be a doll and fetch them for me, would you?"

This was just so... _wrong_ , Ivan thought as he got the bottle of painkillers and a glass of water. By took the medicine, then settled himself under the covers. "You can go, now," he said, making a little shooing motion with his hand.

Ivan pointed his finger in By's face. "You're not doing anything like this ever again."

By raised an eyebrow. "Are you telling me my job, Ivan?"

"You're not a prostitute!"

"How very forceful you've become. I suppose you intend to make an honest man of me, as well?"

"Oh, shut up. I mean it. Imp Sec'll just have to get their information some other way."

"My hero, I'm sure. Now will you please _go away_?"

Rolling his eyes, Ivan went back to the kitchen and rifled through the drawer's contents. Maybe By had some ointment... Yes! He reentered the darkened bedroom, triumphantly waving the tube at By. "This has a numbing agent," Ivan said, but By didn't respond. Surely he wasn't asleep already?

"Don't you want to put some on?" Ivan snapped on the light.

"What do I have to do to get rid of you?" By mumbled into his pillow.

"I've got some ointment here." By ignored him, and Ivan hovered, irresolute. He could just leave and let By sleep. But those marks looked horrid, and By would surely sleep better if they were numb.

"Oh hell," he groaned, kneeling by the bed and pulling back the covers, ignoring By's sleepy protest. It's just first aid, Ivan sternly reminded himself as he gingerly applied ointment to the worst of the cuts. His stomach clenched as he surveyed the mess the whip had made of By's skin, and his mind shied away from the image of By bound and gagged, helpless, writhing in pain...

By raised his head. "Mmmm. I think it's starting to work. Thank you, Ivan. This was a good idea."

Ivan tried to decode the hidden By message in the words, but there seemed to be none of his usual irony or sarcasm hidden within the praise. "You're...uh...welcome," Ivan muttered, squeezing more ointment onto his fingers.

Surely By had been able to at least shake his head in protest; they had to have known it wasn't what he wanted. Unless By had gone along with it in his attempt to glean information. Maybe he hadn't protested; maybe he had pretended to enjoy it. Still, what kind of freak could enjoy inflicting that sort of pain on their lover?

When he'd covered them all, Ivan got to his feet and retreated to the bathroom to wash his hands and splash his burning face with cold water, and by the time he came out By had apparently gone to sleep. Ivan stood at the end of the bed. By was curled up, the blankets pulled to his chin, his face barely visible by the soft glow of the moonlight that filtered through the curtains.

He should leave now, he thought. By was as settled as Ivan could make him. Ivan didn't leave though, instead going into the kitchen and making himself some of By's coffee. He drank an entire pot while pacing about the apartment, considering the situation, even though it was grossly unfair that it was Ivan trying to find some way round this mess while Byerly slept the sleep of the patently _un_ just.

What was it about Byerly Vorrutyer that had enabled him to get so far under Ivan's skin, almost without Ivan even realizing it? He supposed it was the conversation at Gregor's wedding that started it all, when he learned that there was much more to By than met the eye. But that was Merkle's problem, not Ivan's. Why was he still _here_? Ivan wondered, frowning at the wholly unfamiliar sensation of self-analysis.

Ivan wandered back into By's bedroom and sat on the floor beside By's bed, watching him sleep. He looked young, and vulnerable, Ivan thought. _Attractive._ He bit his lip, the germ of an idea beginning to form. It was radical, but it could work, and the longer he thought about it, the more convinced he became.

Eventually By woke, his eyes widening in surprise at the sight of Ivan sitting there.

"I have an idea," Ivan said.

"Do tell."

"No, listen, it's foolproof."

"Never underestimate the ingenuity of a fool," By said dryly.

"You can't have sex with any of your contacts anymore because you're already in an exclusive relationship. A very secret relationship. One that would cause a scandal if it were known. But your boyfriend--"

" _Boy_ friend?"

"--is very jealous and possessive."

"And whom do you propose to play the part of this jealous, possessive boyfriend? Because in order for a scheme like that to work I will need to produce a name, if not an actual person."

Ivan lifted his chin. "Me."

Thankfully, By didn't laugh at him. There was a long silence, then finally, "Ivan, you surprise me."

"Uh, Yeah. I surprise myself, too. But think about it. You wouldn't have to do anything you don't want to and you could still keep your cover safe at the same time."

"Come now, Ivan. I do appreciate the thought, but you're the most notorious womanizer on Barrayar. Nobody who knows you is going to believe you're in a secret homosexual relationship."

It was going to be damned embarrassing if--when--the gossips got hold of it, Ivan knew, but a juicy story like that would get around, planting seeds, no matter how unlikely it seemed.

"Besides," By continued, "in order for this story to be effective you may at some point have to demonstrably _act_ like a jealous, possessive boyfriend."

"I can handle it," Ivan said sturdily.

By's raised eyebrow was eloquent, and Ivan supposed he'd have to prove it. He sighed, then leaned forward to press a kiss against By's mouth.

Ivan meant it to be a brief demonstration, but somehow his head slanted, and By's lips opened, and the whole thing became a bit more demonstrative than Ivan had intended. But that was all right, for it also demonstrated to _him_ that if push came to shove he could pull this off.

Ivan slowly, reluctantly pulled away, a little breathless, and more than a little pleased with his performance. By _couldn't_ say no to that. "See?" he whispered.

By's reddened lips slowly curved into a fond-looking smile. "Yes, I think I do."

 


End file.
